Employers should get ready to deal with trade union requests to disclose company information - and determine what they can keep confidential - before the first part of the Fair Work Act 2009 takes effect mid-year, says University of Adelaide Professor of Law, Andrew Stewart.
Maintaining a good relationship with departing employees not only ensures a supply of part-time and temporary labour, but also drives business and employee referrals, says global expert on alumni programs, Professor Ian Williamson.
Employers must be more vigilant than ever in developing and reinforcing anti-bullying policies in light of a significant spike in workplace bullying and harassment claims - many of them false, says Harmers Workplace Lawyers managing partner, Joydeep Hor.
Employers that gather and accurately interpret workforce data before resorting to massive job cuts can avert unnecessary workplace upheaval and save big bucks in future recruitment costs, according to Qantas workforce analytics manager, Nathan Carbone.
Any company that attempts short-term "stopgap" measures to reduce labour costs only to be forced to make large-scale public layoffs later "has to be classified as a workforce planning failure", says HR expert Dr John Sullivan.
Employers compelled to make employees redundant because of the economic downturn are still entitled to enforce restraint clauses, says Minter Ellison Lawyers partner, Gareth Jolly.
As economic conditions worsen, employers that cut back on supervision and communication face a growing risk of employee fraud, warns workplace relations lawyer Chris Molnar.
Employers that refrain from indiscriminately slashing staff numbers and adhere to the 10 "DOs and DON'Ts" of the redundancy process will be "poised to enjoy a competitive advantage" as the economy rebounds, according to the authors of a white paper from the Human Capital Institute and Taleo.
HR must make the shift from transactional to transformational - driving change within a business instead of just aligning with it - if it wants "a seat at the table", says the head of global HR consulting at Kelly Services.
Employers looking to implement workplace drug and alcohol testing must ensure that the process is completely transparent to avoid possible litigation - especially when it comes to sacking workers who test positive to prohibited substances, says Harmers Workplace Lawyers partner, Jamie Robinson.
Workplace bullying complaints continue to pose significant challenges for employers, including where the behaviour doesn't meet the legal definition of bullying or the threshold to make a claim. Watch this HR Daily Premium webcast to understand key lessons from cases where bullying complaints interact with other claims and issues.
What constitutes "best practice" when managing neurodiversity at work is evolving all the time. Watch this HR Daily Premium webcast to learn how to embed neuroinclusive practices into HR programs and every stage of the employment lifecycle.
